The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-06-16
The Saturday Half Holiday.


The New York legislature made
law to the effect that Saturday after
noon should be holiday, and the law
went into effect last Saturday. There
was no demand on the part of labor
ing men for half holiday. but
demagogues thought by making such
law it would make them solid with la
boring men. Since the discovery is
made that laborers who do not work
on Saturday afternoon, lose half days
pay. there is great kicking. Before
there was any law on the subject, la
borer could quit work a half day or a
whole day or week, if he chose to do
so, by losing his pay. but he took few
holidays, because he could not afford it.
Now he has to take holiday, accord
ing to law, unless he can induce his
employer to let him work. Instead of
the new law giving him Il half holiday
with full pay, no law can COM
pei an employer to pay man half Il
days wages. to go and see baseball
match. When an employer sees the
hours of labor constantly reduced,
and finds his men standing around the
shops doing nothing until eight o'clock,
for fear they will work
more than eight hours, that
employer becomes bit discouraged,
and when law is passed which sends
his men away from business Saturday
afternoon, whether he is rushed with
business OF not, or whether the men
want to work or not, he is more dis
couraged. TIE Sun does not object
10 laborers going fishing Saturday
afternoon, or any time they can afford
it, and any time that they can arrange
with their employers, but it objects to
law closing business places whether
they want to be closed or not, leaving
employers to pay for half days work
not performed. All these questions
ought to be settled between the men
and their employers. Men should
work ''by the piece when it is posi-
ble. That is, they should have pay for
what they do. Two men, one of whom
Fan make four articles in a given time,
md one of whom can only make three,
should not be paid the same money.
Then if an employer and his men can
agree that the men shall do so much
work, and then quit, and have
good time, whether it is
Saturday, or any other day,
there would be much more
happiness. Then the men will not 90
off Saturday noon, leaving work that is
promised in the afternoon. because
here is law which says they must 60.
They will say to the old man that pays
Them, "Boss, we would like to hurry
mp little for Il day or two, and get off
Saturday to take the wives and babies
out in the woods for picnic" And
the old man will say, "All right, boys.
there is some work to be turned out
that parties are in hurry for, and if it
can't be done by Saturday, l will 60
md see if l can stand off the parties
till next week. Ii can, you can all
20 Saturday. II l can't get them to
wait, l shall ask you to postpone your
picnic till the middle of next week, and
will furnish teams and carriages for
your folks, and will 60 along and drive
one of the teams. and take along a pot
Df baked beans under the seat" The
boys will say, "All right, old man, we
will leave the day to you, and will be
mighty glad to have you 60 along with
u.s. Such employees, with such an
employer, would go home happy, and
go to their work happy, and be happy
at their picnics, and the employer
would be happier than any of
them. But when men feel edge
wise towards the employer, and
go reluctantly to work, look
ing constantly for an excuse
to strike, and ''lo him up when they
depend more upon the walking delegate
for brains than they do upon them
selves, and when they take advantage
Of law passed by demagogues, to
strike him in a vital part by leaving g
work when he needs work most, be.
cause the law says they may, there is
little happiness on either side, and en-
ployer and employe are antagonistic,
and sometimes become enemies where
they ought to be good friends Those
manufacturers who are adopting the
system of sharing profits with laborers.
are doing more to bind employer and
employe together than all the laws
and all the unions and knights can do.
That system makes partnership where
every man wants to work as mauy
hours as they can without injury to
himself and family. He will take holi-
days enough, if he is a partner with the
old man, but he will take them when
business is dull. You couldn't drive
him away from business when there is
a rush, though there might be statute
book full of laws bearing on the case.
He will not stand around the shop till
eight o'clock, when there is work te
10, because demagogues have made ar
eight hour law. He will enjoy himself
better at work, because some of the
profit is going to be his own.-Peck' S
| Sun.
Living in the Busy Present.
The south of to-day has something